Leilani Estates, HI

Leilani Estates is a Puna census-designated place on the eastern side of Hawaiʻi Island, about three miles south of Pāhoa and 23 miles south of Hilo. Formed in 1964, it had 1,139 residents in the 2020 census. The subdivision is also known today by the older Hawaiian place name Keahialaka, described as part of an ahupuaʻa, a traditional land division running from mountain to sea. That name puts the neighborhood in a much older Puna landscape. The 2018 lower Puna eruption of Kīlauea changed the neighborhood map, destroying many homes and displacing residents.

ATTRUnited States Geological Survey / Public domain

The Leilani Community Association handles roads other than Leilani Avenue, landscaping, meetings, and community notices, with a longhouse and community center on Moku Street. Current association announcements include board meetings and agricultural-use information, while its cultural work centers recovery, reconciliation, and responsibilities to the land. Leilani is a place where volcanic ground, Native Hawaiian place history, and neighborhood stewardship remain visible in local meetings and community work.